When Susan Bruck posted the following inspirational quote at her blog, I knew it would be a beautiful opening for this month's Spiritual Journey Thursday on reflection.
"The Japanese philosophy encourages us to focus on the blessings hiding in our daily lives, and celebrating the way things are rather than how they should be." -Thomas Oppong
For many of us things in our personal lives are stressful. Pandemic blues follow. The facial coverings we wear may mask our feelings, holding us back from seeing life through a different lens. With determination and faith we need to find what is beautiful in life to restore a sense of joy. In trying to sort out my own emotions, I turn to nature's transformative touch.
Remembering the brilliant sun over the marsh, the reeds brushing lightly past one another in a spring breeze, and the recent dark storms led to the creation of an inspirational digital filled with Long Island sights. I added the sketched hand to signify a need for humanity to reach out and connect with others.
In this spirit of making connections, I reflect on an unusual Thanksgiving with my family. There were many differences that made this feast a new normal one. Instead of Mass at the Cathedral, we sat at home watching it on television. There was a small turkey breast with sides for our family of three, and Zoom and phone calls to connect with relatives and my granddaughters. Within the unfamiliarity of events there was a constant. The sermon, like many others, was a memorable one for our times. Our new pastor presented an urgent message: make Thanksgiving an action of the spirit, not just one day of celebration. His simple words encouraged all to fill our hearts with gratitude each day. Knowing that I had a dip in my positivity level during the pandemic, his message resonated with me.
As the pastor suggested, we need to become people filled with gratefulness for the blessings of life, not dwelling on the stressors that have us exploding like volcanoes of ill-wanted toxins.
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Thank you to my poet-librarian friend, Linda Mitchell, for hosting this month's Spiritual Journey Thursday. She chose the topic reflection as her inspiration for the action of reflecting on what has been.
#Awesome Carol! True! Thank You, my friend!
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew you to thank for this comment. I only see the name signed as Unknown.
DeleteReading your post reminds me of reading the Psalms; the lyrical rhythms, the repetition of "o my soul," the expression of thankfulness for blessings and in praise of the Creator's handiwork. I want to walk in that cathedral of woods in your photo. And that sketched hand - the perfect touch! Happy that you experienced constancy in the unfamiliarity of a distanced holiday and I find your pastor's words to make Thanksgiving an action of the spirit to be true - every day. The quote Susan shared was a lovely springboard for your introspective, beautiful, poetic expressions here. Thank you for always uplifting.
ReplyDeleteRuth, as a wife of a minister, I thought you would appreciate our young pastor's words. He has only been a priest for 6 years but he has a way with words and a calmness in his voice. I love listening to him and what he said is something I will never forget. I am so happy to share the photos I took of our walk in the woods. That day was like being on a spiritual journey with our 2 friends who are also filled with the spirit. We were all amazed at the beauty of the day as we walked along the lake and through the woods. Nature was a magnificent healer that day and these photos continue to nurture my soul. Many thanks for your beautiful thoughts.
DeleteBeautiful post, Carol! I love your call to "Be grateful for what is."
ReplyDeleteRuth, I am trying to get back into the practice of being grateful for what is and trying to get my husband to be more positive. Gratitude is an action. With hope on my side, I will tread down a new path.
DeleteA beautiful post, Carol. Thank you so much for your poem and lovely photos/illustrations. I can feel the peace in your path. I hope that your life circumstances begin to untangle, and I send you gratitude and and best wishes for the days ahead.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely and uplifting post. We could all use more of this gratitude!
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